Gonzaga vs. Kentucky preview: Drew Timme and Oscar Tshiebwe headline battle of top-5 teams

The No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 4 Wildcats look to bounce back from crushing defeats behind their All-American big men

Fresh off a Texas-sized beatdown in Austin on Wednesday, the No. 2 Bulldogs will look to rebound against the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats in the Spokane Arena on Sunday in a battle of two elite college basketball programs. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT and can be watched on ESPN.

"This is something Coach Calipari and I have been working on for some time," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in a news release. "It's an exciting thing for both programs, both schools, both fan bases, and all of college basketball. Instead of a two-year thing, this gives everyone something to put on their calendar and look forward to over the next six seasons."

While college basketball fans have a marquee matchup to look out for the next half-decade, the battle between Gonzaga's Drew Timme and Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe is unlike any other. It’ll mark the first time in over 50 years that a returning player of the year and a two-time All-American face each other. Both are in contention for the Naismith Trophy once again as seniors.

Tshiebwe earned the POY award after averaging 17.4 points, 15.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 34 outings last season, becoming the first Division I player to average at least 15 points and 15 rebounds a night since the 1979-80 season.

The 6-foot-9 center underwent what was thought to be “minor” knee surgery in the offseason according to John Calipari, yet the injury cost Tshiebwe more time on the court than anticipated. Along with the Big Blue Madness event and two exhibition games, he sat out Kentucky’s victories over Howard and Duquesne to start the 2022-23 season.

Still, there was no sign of rust or fatigue from Tshiebwe in his debut against Michigan State on Tuesday. Coming off the bench, he poured in 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while blocking four shots in 34 minutes of action. The Spartans couldn’t keep Tshiebwe contained as he ripped down six offensive rebounds, tied for the most on the team for the season, with three putback attempts.

“For Oscar to do what he did without playing for four weeks and never practice? Come on. That’s ridiculous,” Calipari said to the Lexington Herald Leader.

Limiting Tshiebwe’s success on Sunday will be difficult given the various ways he can legitimately impact a game. The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year is a tremendous shot-blocker (third most in the conference last season) and rebounder (most rebounds per game in the country) while being an elite rim runner on the offensive end of the floor. Accounting for his made shots, assists and offensive rebounds, Tshiebwe produced the third-most points in the SEC as a center, a rarity in production for the position.

Likewise, Kentucky will look to slow down GU’s biggest offensive threat in Timme, who leads the Zags in points and rebounds.

Against Texas, Timme struggled to have a significant impact against the swarming Longhorns' defense. Constant double-teams and tight passing lanes limited the big man’s effectiveness in the post, as he was held to just 10 shot attempts on the night, the fewest in a game since last season’s West Coast Conference tournament championship game. GU committed a season-high 20 turnovers in the process, many of which were a result of trying to force-feed Timme.

Should Kentucky find similar success in slowing down Timme, it’ll be up to the rest of GU’s cast to step up. Julian Strawther has been the second option in the offense as a three-level scorer, averaging 14 points per game on 46% shooting from the field and 41% from deep. The Zags bench averages 13.3 points per game.

GU has averaged over 17 turnovers in three games this season (tied for 35th-worst in the nation) while averaging 13 assists per outing. While it’s still early in the season, sloppy play won’t slide against the up-tempo Wildcats.

Kentucky boasts a deep lineup with five players averaging double-figures in scoring per night. Among those is former 5-star recruit Casson Wallace, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard who has started in all three games for coach Calipari and played a team-high 44 minutes in Kentucky’s double-overtime loss to Michigan State. He was a hound on defense, racking up a program-record eight steals.

In a battle of blue-blood programs, the supporting cast for both sides and winning the turnover margin will play a factor as Timme and Tshiebwe fight down in the post.

Prediction: Zags 78, Wildcats 75